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Venice Beach, United States

Stay in Half Moon Bay: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Half Moon Bay

All 12 on Half Moon Bay's map

Watch this spot We email you when Venice Beach is worth the trip.

Half Moon Bay State Beach 6 2019-05-05
Venice Beach. Photo: F ASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Venice Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (234°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (54°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 73). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October and November, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Half Moon Bay, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 6 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), direct.

    See flights MDW → SFO · Skyscanner from about £225 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Venice Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Half Moon BayAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Half Moon Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Half Moon Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Venice Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct166 ft8 smushy358kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct135 ft10 ssoft472kJ17°C
Wed 21Oct574 ft8 smushy197kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct303 ft7 smushy91kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct07 ft7 smushy385kJ18°C
Sat 24Oct324 ft7 smushy139kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct493 ft9 ssoft140kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct513 ft8 ssoft132kJ24°C
Tue 27Oct192 ft7 smushy52kJ22°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 35 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Francis Beach

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Francis Beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Francis Beach

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Surf Roosevelt Beach

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 35 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Half Moon Bay each day: Francis Beach, Mavericks, Roosevelt Beach, Venice Beach.

The trip from Half Moon Bay, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £935–£1,705 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SFO, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£225–£470
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£30–£45
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£935–£1,705

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Half Moon Bay

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.